Cancer survival lower in poor areas
Updated on 04 September 2008
People living in the most deprived parts of England have lower survival rates for cancer, according to figures.
They have less chance of being alive five years after diagnosis if they live in poorer areas like Blackpool, Barnsley, Manchester, Cumbria and County Durham.
The analysis of people diagnosed between diagnosed 1998 and 2003 found "significantly lower" survival rates for the most deprived Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). These PCTs - called "Spearhead" by the Government - consist of 62 PCTs around England.
Overall, one-year and five-year survival rates among men were lower in the Spearhead PCTs for each of the seven cancers examined by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
For women, rates were lower for seven of the nine cancers examined. For cancers of the cervix and ovary, five-year survival was similar in Spearhead PCTs to the rest of England.
Overall, the cancers examined were bladder, breast, cervix, colon, lung, oesophagus, ovary, prostate, rectum and stomach.
The ONS figures showed the biggest differences between Spearhead and other PCTs when it came to cancers of the bladder and rectum.
The five-year survival rate for cancer of the rectum was 4.2% lower for men in Spearhead PCTs (46.6% compared with 50.8% elsewhere).
The five-year survival rate for women with cancer of the rectum was 3.6% lower in Spearhead PCTs (50.1% compared with 53.7%).
Meanwhile, the five-year survival rate for bladder cancer was 3.3% lower for men and 4.5% lower for women (57.1% for men compared with 60.4%; and 49.1% for women compared with 53.6%).
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